Salem, Dalia Ahmed

The dtec.bw project CoupleIT! – IT-based sector coupling: Digitally controlled fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies for stationary and mobile applications is an interdisciplinary approach to combine a wide range of competencies from disciplines as varied as electrical power systems, economic and social sciences, computer sciences and networks as well as sustainable development and social acceptance research. As such, this article is composed of individual contributions, constituting the main chapters that showcase general approaches and motivations but also concrete results. This compendium article starts in with a delineation of the motivation behind research in so-called microgrids composed of fuel cell and electrolyzer components and a presentation of the microgrid architecture opted for in this project. Chapter two goes into more detail on the side of electrical engineering and the feasibility of a parallel operation of inverters in microgrids to achieve the ability for an upscaling. Chapter three highlights economic and technological factors for an economically viable and grid-maintaining deployment of a hydrogen-based energy system. In addition, degradation of Li-ion batteries is discussed against the background of their flexible operation in a microgrid and other scenarios. Chapter four grants a glimpse into the field of computer science and the possibility to use artificial intelligence and neural networks for a new way to simulate the behaviour of matter on atomic and molecular scales. This approach holds potential to increase the efficiency of fuel cells by improving the molecular design of fuel cell membranes used within this project. Chapter five elucidates the intricacies of secure communication within one but also between multiple microgrids, an important aspect for achieving a resilient system. Chapter six concludes this compendium by highlighting the human perspective seen from the field of psychological acceptance research nested in the broader context of sustainable development. Among other things, areas of potential barriers to a public acceptance of hydrogen technology are identified and ways to overcome those barriers proposed. This interdisciplinary round trip starts with electrical engineering (chapters one and two), economic and social sciences (chapter three), followed by computer sciences (chapter four) and computer networks (chapter five) whence the baton is passed for one last time to the field of sustainable development and psychological acceptance research (chapter six).

The classical prime energy sources of electrical energy are planned to be replaced by renewable clean energy sources. To meet this purpose, new merging of electrical power systems with hydrogen gas network is planned to store the storing electrical energy. Hydrogen has a great potential as a promising clean energy carrier, a storage medium and is considered a suitable alternative future fuel. Only 4% of the industrial global hydrogen production is produced by water electrolysis. This motivates the pace of the scientific research in the direction of improving the current technologies of water electrolysis technologies, especially the proton exchange membrane PEM electrolysis process. PEM electrolysis copes with the fluctuating nature of the renewable energy sources like photovoltaics PV as it shows less performance degradation. This study investigates the integration of PV grid-connected system with an electrolyzer system. A Simulink model to present the mentioned electrolyzer, subjected to sudden current variations, when it is supplied by a PV while connecting to the main grid. A Simulink model is designed by using MATLAB/Simulink to analyze the plotted results of hydrogen production.